Coming Home
by SakuraUchiha4Eternity
Summary: This is a story about forgiveness and love. About what it means to find your way back to where you belong.
1. Chapter 1: Goals

As Sasuke Uchiha stood atop the tallest tree he could find on the highest hill, he looked down at his old home. The one he could never return to. The one he cherished deep down in his black heart that is full of revenge and hate.

As he thought of the people that dwelled within it, he felt an ache in his chest. Every time he came near this place or his old team that he dared not even to think of, he would get this aching feeling. His battered up broken heart told him to go home and live on with his life, but his stupid head kept telling him he had things he had to do and he was going to get them done.

He sighed and was about to jump down to the next tree, when he heard a voice that he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried. Every muscle in his body tensed and his heart started beating so loud he had to grip it so he could get ahold of himself. He had not heard _her_ voice in such a long time. It sounded different, less high pitched and squeaky and even more assertive. It sounded strong and like it could never break, but just as loud as before. Some things can just never change.

"I don't see why we have to do border patrol," someone else said, a male's voice. It was like one of those recordings on the phone you would get when all you wanted was to talk to a real person. It was just so monotone, like he had no emotions.

Then he heard _her_ voice. "I've never heard you complain before, Sai. I think you've been hanging around Naruto too much," she said and laughed.

The sound of her laugh made him start to ache. It had literally been forever since he had heard her laugh. He had forgotten what it sounded like. It made him want to laugh and smile with her, just like it had always made him want to do. Hearing her voice was nothing compared to her laugh, since it was so alien to him. Ever since he had left to be Orochimaru's pupil, he hadn't really heard anyone laugh, except for evil or perverted people who weren't laughing at anything that was funny or made them happy. Then he finally killed Orochimaru and developed a team of his own now. Now he was so close to his goal, getting revenge by killing his only brother.

He should probably move or leave right away because he was in enemy territory, but something deep down inside him kept screaming at him that this would never be enemy territory and it would always be his home. And this girl, she had such a hold on him and he could never figure out why. She and the blonde headed idiot both did, and that was why he had to get away. They were swaying him from his goal and he just couldn't have that.

"Well, it looks like we're finished," the boy said, Sai.

He could just feel Sakura nod her head and see those pink locks cascade into her face. "Yes," she said.

He heard Sai start to move, but stop. "Aren't you coming, Sakura?" he asked.

"You go on ahead I just need to go and check something," she told him reassuringly, "I'll be fine."

He heard the boy's footsteps and they started to fade away into the distance. He squinted his eyes, trying to see her, but he was up so high and all the other trees were in his way that he just couldn't. He sighed, and was about to leave when he heard her voice again.

"I know you're out there, Sasuke," she said loudly.

His heart practically stopped. How did she know? He had dimmed his chakra and kept deathly quiet! Well, it didn't matter because he had to get out of here_ now_. Just as he was about to make his way out, the tree started to crumble underneath him. He jumped off it to another lower tree as the old one slowly crumbled to the ground. He was finding it hard to process what had just happened.

"Don't even try to run, you coward!" she screamed.

He gulped and was about to do a transformation jutsu, when this tree started to fall as well. He jumped to the ground and just stood there. There she was, standing there not too far from him. She brought her gloved fist back down to her side and locked her emerald green eyes with his pitch black ones.

He gritted his teeth. This was not supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to see her or even hear her, and she wasn't supposed to know he was there. Her eyes were almost the same as they used to be, but they lacked the warmth they used to have. Now there was a whole lot of fire in them and it made her look a hell of a lot more grown up. She had grown taller, but was still petite. She wasn't wearing that long red dress thing she used to wear, but a red shirt and a pink skirt with those tight shorts underneath and boots on her long perfect legs. They were toned and muscular. Her gloves, he guessed were probably so she wouldn't damage her hands, like with what she did to those trees he was in. For such a small girl, she was pretty damn strong.

"What are you doing here?" she asked coldly. Now that was not something that he expected. He was used to her kind and caring demeanor, especially towards him. But he knew he deserved everything he got, especially after what he had done to her.

He just stared at her because he didn't even know what to say. He himself didn't even know what he was doing here.

"Still quiet I see," she said, "one thing I know is that you're definitely not here to come _home._"

So this was still his home to her? At least she still felt the same about one thing. She could read him like an open book, but he just couldn't seem to read her. Mainly because she was totally different, the old Sakura was like a different person than this one. He didn't know how to react to this one.

The look on his face told her, her answer. "I'm not going to ask you to stay or anything like that, because I know that it would be pointless. I'm smart, Sasuke, and I'm pretty damn strong no thanks to you. Hell, if I wanted, I could probably make you stay."

He couldn't help it; he just had to smirk at that. She glared at him and said, "Underestimating me Sasuke wouldn't be very smart on your part. But whatever, I don't really give a shit. I'm not going to fight you because making you stay would be stupid. If you don't want to be here, then that's your damn choice, even if it's one made on ridiculous reasons."

Now he had to speak. "_Ridiculous?_"

"Yes ridiculous, Sasuke, because you are going to regret everything you do after this is all over. You're going to lose yourself, hell you probably already lost a lot of yourself, but after all this is over you won't be the Sasuke I know. You'll be someone that is broken and consumed with revenge, even more than you are now. But most of all, you're going to feel guilty. He is your brother after all, Sasuke and you loved him at one point and deep down you still do-"

"You're wrong!" Sasuke yelled.

She shook her head and said, "No I'm not, Sasuke. That's why you're getting so angry. You hate yourself for still loving your older brother even after he did what he did-"

"Shut up!" he yelled.

She shook her head. He calmed himself back down. He couldn't believe that he had reacted like that. He shoved everything back inside and looked at her with still angry eyes. He would never be able to get used to her treating him this way.

"Ok look," she said, "I wasn't going to talk about that with you. I was going to ask you something."

He studied her and he could tell that she was telling the truth. "Ask me what?"

"You're going after the Akatsuki, right? Since you're after your brother?"

He nodded and studied her suspiciously. He was confused by this point. He had no idea what she was going to say next.

"Well, I'm after them too. It's for personal reasons and I think the best chance I have to dispose of them, is being a part of your team."

His jaw almost dropped. He collected himself and asked, "What about the village? Do you want to be a missing-nin, like me? You're willing to abandon your village?"

She glared at him and said, "I've already made my decision, Sasuke. I'm not doing this for you, I doing this for all the people I want to protect. If it means that I have to leave everyone I love behind, then so be it. Once the Akatsuki is gone, this world will be a better place. I'm going to do this whether you let me be a part of your team or not. If I have to, I'll do it on my own. My mind is made up. I will not lose anything else that I cherish!"

Her fierce eyes locked with his. He knew that he could be landing himself into a trap and she could feed information back to her superiors while she traveled with him, but deep down he knew that she wouldn't and he was willing to take the chance.

"As long as you don't give out information about my whereabouts or anything like that," he said.

She smiled and asked, "Well, what are we waiting for? I'm ready."

He gave her a confused look and she said, "Don't look at me like that, Sasuke. I had a feeling that you would be here. I can't explain it, I just did."

He smirked at her and remembered the night that he left. She had been there waiting for him. Somehow she had known he was going to leave. He didn't know how or why, but she always seemed to know just what to expect from him. And to be honest, it frightened him a little.


	2. Chapter 2: Comrades

A man with white hair and shark like teeth, carrying a big sword, looked over at his companions. One was a girl with long red hair and red eyes that had glasses over them. She was wearing a pretty slutty outfit; well that's what he thought. The other was a big man with orange hair and kind eyes, but he knew not to let that fool him. This man was the first one to bear the curse mark and even though he seemed nice, he knew what he was capable of.

"What is taking Sasuke so long?" the red head girl said aloud.

The white haired man smirked at her and said, "You just can't wait to see your Sasuke now, can you Karin?"

The girl, Karin, glared at him and said, "Shut up, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu and Karin continued to fight, while the big orange haired man sat down and sighed. A bird landed on his shoulder and he gently caressed its feathers. He smiled and started talking to the bird just so he could pass the time. Plus, it was better conversation than he would ever have with his teammates.

Just as Karin was about to hit Suigetsu, a voice all of them knew all too well said, "Stop."

The bird flew away from the orange haired man and the other two froze in their tracks. Karin reluctantly brought her fist back down to her side and Suigetsu smirked.

Then all their eyes landed on the person just behind Sasuke. A girl with short pink hair and piercing green eyes; She was very small and petite. Karin's jaw was dropped and the other two just couldn't find just what to say.

Sasuke pointed at the pink haired girl behind him and said, "This is Sakura. She's a new member of our team."

This time Karin spoke. "What can a little pip squeak like her do?"

Sakura glared icily at her and said, "Probably more than _you_ can do, bitch. I'm a well-trained medic and I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I look."

Karin's face became red and she was about to argue when Suigetsu cut in. "Well, well she's a feisty one. She's gonna make things very interesting…"

Sasuke glared at him and said, "She's not to be touched or anything of the sort and if you do, I'll kill you. I can always find another one to fill your place."

Suigetsu gulped because he had a feeling that Sasuke meant exactly what he said. Karin was in shock and was really pissed off. Sasuke had stuck up for _that_ girl. What was so special about her? She was too small to scare anyone physically. Her pink hair was rare, but she didn't do anything with it. Her green eyes were… different. She seemed to have a temper problem too.

"Did you guys manage to find a place to stay?" he asked impatiently.

Karin nodded and replied, "Yeah, an inn just a few miles from here."

Sasuke nodded and took off. All of them followed, including Sakura.

As they made their way to the inn, Sakura looked over at the big orange haired man. He had such warm eyes that made you want to smile at him every time they looked at you. He seemed the only decent one out of them all. She moved closer to him and asked, "What's your name?"

He looked down at her and then back to the ground and mumbled, "Juugo."

"That's a nice name, Juugo," she said, "my name's Sakura."

He smiled at her and said, "I know. Sasuke told us, remember?"

She laughed and said, "Oh yea…. I remember now."

He even let out a sort of laugh too. Juugo reminded her of a quieter, shyer version of Naruto. He drew people towards him, instead of pushing them away. Unlike someone she knows and her eyes shifted to Sasuke. She noticed that his shoulders were a lot broader since the last time she had seen him. His hair was shorter too. He also had this feel about him that he didn't have before. Even though he was right there, it seemed like he was on another planet. Before he was reachable, but now, now he was heading down a very lonely and empty path. If he ended up getting to the end of that path, she just knew something inside her would die as well.

"_A broken heart never stops bleeding." Brittany Shain_


	3. Chapter 3: Photo

"I would like two rooms," Sasuke told the receptionist, "both with two beds in each."

The receptionist nodded and Sasuke gave her some money and he was rewarded with four keys and a wink from the receptionist.

Karin glared at her and Sakura rolled her eyes. Sakura was used to Sasuke getting hit on by every girl that laid eyes on him, but she guessed that Karin wasn't. Sasuke turned back to his team. Before he could say anything, Suigetsu said, "So the little princess and I gonna share a room or what?"

Right after he said it, he regretted it. Sasuke's sharingan was in full force and he looked like he was going to kill him. "No you're _not._ Sakura will be staying with me."

Now that shocked all of them, especially Sakura. First he was sticking up for her, now she had to sleep in the same room with him? What the hell was going on?

As Karin was protesting, Sakura said, "Umm… how about I just share a room with Karin and you and Suigetsu and Juugo can share?"

Sasuke looked at her then, for the first time since she started traveling with him. He couldn't believe Sakura Haruno, the one who had once claimed to be in love with him, didn't want to stay in the same room as him. It wasn't like they were going to do anything anyways; he just wanted to make sure she didn't feel uncomfortable with all these strangers. Plus, he needed to keep a close eye on her.

He sighed and said, "Fine."

Karin grumbled as Sasuke handed her, her key and the rest theirs. The boys' room was right next to theirs just in case something would happen. Sakura called dibs on the shower and took off her ninja clothes and got into the steaming shower. The warm water felt good on her skin. She couldn't help it, but her mind drifted off to Sasuke. He claimed that he had broken all bonds with them, yet he was defending her. Yes, she was on his team now, but still. He didn't have to do that, but he _did._ Maybe the old Sasuke was still deep down inside there, waiting to be found.

After that, her mind drifted off to Naruto and all her other friends back home. Naruto would be heartbroken after he found out that she left, but she had to do this. This was something she just _needed_ to do. She had talked with the Hokage about this, but her permission had not been granted so she took matters into her own hands. She knew that Tsunade would feel betrayed, but this was just something that was too important. She knew that the Akatsuki were after Naruto, and Naruto already had too much on his shoulders. Bringing Sasuke home was just another burden he had, and maybe this way she could kill two birds with one stone.

As she came out of the shower, Karin glared at her icily. "Took you long enough, _pinkie,"_ she said.

Sakura just walked past her and said, "Well, I can see you're an impatient one."

Karin spun around and said evenly, "Listen here, you _bitch. _I know why you're here."

"And how could you possibly know that? I don't know what I've done to you, but I'm guessing you have a crush on Sasuke. Trust me, I'm not surprised. He has had a lot of fangirls throughout his life. Especially back _home."_

Karin eyed her suspiciously and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Sakura smiled and said, "Sasuke is from Konoha, our home. We both grew up together. We were even on the same team. So you having a crush on him, I get it. I've seen lots of girls fall for Sasuke, but don't waste your time. He only has one thing on his mind, and that's getting revenge."

Karin glared at her, hard. "What I feel for Sasuke is way more than just a crush! I love him!"

Sakura couldn't help herself, she laughed. That made Karin even more made. She calmed her giggles down and said, "You have no idea what it means to love Sasuke Uchiha. You worked for Orochimaru right?"

Karin didn't have to answer, because Sakura got her answer from her expression. "Orochimaru poisons people. You don't know what it means to be a part of a team! To love someone so much even if it's never enough!"

Karin watched and listened with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Deep down, she knew she was right. "Sasuke trained under Orochimaru for three years, does that mean he was 'poisoned' as well, _Sakura?"_ Karin asked curiously.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out."

With that, Karin went into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. Sakura went to her bed and sat down her bag. She dug around inside it and found what she was looking for, her copy of the picture of team 7. She smiled at it. Kakashi sensei was holding the two glaring Sasuke and Naruto down by the heads and she was in the middle smiling blissfully. She was always so happy back in those days. Everything was so much simpler. Her memories of her genin days were the ones she was going to cherish for the rest of her days.

Sasuke was just about ready to lie down and go to sleep, when Suigetsu got out of the shower. Juugo just sat in the windowsill looking out into the night.

"So what's the deal with princess?" Suigetsu asked curiously.

Sasuke grumbled and said, "Nothing. We needed a good medic and she's the best around."

Suigetsu eyed him suspiciously and finally said, "It just seems like you two have known each other for a long time."

Juugo looked up at that and started to listen in on the conversation. Sasuke sighed heavily and said, "Yeah we grew up together. We were both on the same team."

"Sakura's from Konoha?" Juugo asked.

"Hn," was all he said in reply.

Suigetsu smiled and said, "Well, that explains a lot of things."

"Sakura is very nice, and caring," Juugo said aloud.

Suigetsu smirked and headed to his bed. He whispered something like, "Yeah a nice ass…"

Sasuke just tried to zone out. He didn't think that bringing Sakura along would stir up so much crap, not to mention, make him stir up old memories that he wanted to keep buried deep down. He never thought he would be this protective, but he had been. He just couldn't help it. It had been second nature to him, all those years ago and things like that just never went away easily.

He finally just decided to get up because his mind just wouldn't let him sleep. Their room had a balcony and it connected with Sakura's and Karin's room. He opened the sliding door and was surprised to find Sakura standing out there.

He closed the door behind him and she turned around. Her eyes looked so sad, unlike before. It literally made his heart ache. He looked to her small delicate hands and noticed that she was holding something. She saw him notice and said, "It's nothing."

He came closer because his curiosity got the better of him. He was so close to her now. Something deep down kept yelling at him to hold her close and never let go, but his head wouldn't let him. He grabbed her hands and held them up. He regretted it as soon as he saw the picture that she was holding. It was their team picture. The one they had taken all those years ago. The one he had faced down on his dresser that night that he decided to leave the village.

He dropped her hands immediately and turned away from her. He could hear her sigh behind him. What was she thinking?

"Unlike you, I could not leave home without it," she said and left to go back into her room.

"_True love never dies. It never falters. It will fight to make it through all the pain and it will succeed."_

_-Brittany Shain _


	4. Chapter 4: Tears

Naruto knocked on Sakura's door, waiting. He sighed and knocked again. No response. He used his spare key and opened it. "Sakura..? Are you in here?"

Still no response as he walked through the threshold. The only thing in the living room was some scrolls and books laid out on the coffee table. He went into the kitchen and there were no signs of her there either. He checked her bathroom and finally, he knocked on her bedroom door. Nothing.

He knocked on it for the last time and asked, "Sakura?"

When she didn't answer, he opened the door and her bed was made. Her drawers were open and cleaned out. Even her copy of the picture of team seven was gone. Sakura was _gone._ He collapsed to his knees. She had left him, just like Sasuke had. She wasn't going to be here to cheer him up and help keep him going. What was he going to do now? He couldn't help it, the tears and sobs started to take over his body and he let them.

"Hey Naruto, did you find Sakura?" Sai asked coming into her apartment.

Naruto stayed where he was. He didn't turn around to greet him so he just stayed on the ground, but he made the tears stop.

Sai reached the doorway to her bedroom and asked, "Naruto?"

Naruto wiped the tears off his face the best he could and turned to face Sai. "She's not here," he said numbly, "she's gone."

Sai's emotionless face turned into a shocked one. "Maybe she's at the hospital or…"

"No! She's gone Sai! Just like Sasuke!" Naruto screamed mainly to himself.

Sai looked down, and he felt something wet on his face. He touched his cheek and his finger came back wet. He licked it and tasted salt. "What's this…?" he asked to himself.

Naruto looked up and saw it. Sai was crying. That was something he never thought he would ever see in his entire life. "Sai, you're crying."

Sai ran to a mirror and looked at himself in complete shock. He had never experienced this before. He thought he never would. He wiped the tears from his cheeks, but new ones came out of his black eyes. He turned to Naruto for some explanation.

"You're experiencing emotions, Sai. You're crying because you care about Sakura too. She's a part of your family."

Naruto's words explained the aching his heart was feeling now. Then he started to feel something else. He had read about it in a book…._guilt._ Yes, he felt guilty for not staying with her. He felt guilty for not knowing that there was something wrong with Sakura, for not stopping her. Then he started to feel _regret._ He collapsed to the floor, because all these emotions were just too much for him. He was not used to this kind of thing. They were attacking his heart like kunai, but much worse.

Naruto put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry; we'll get them both back. We need to tell the Hokage as soon as possible."

Sai nodded and wiped his face as he stood up. They ran quickly to the Hokage's tower and knocked on her door furiously.

"Come in," she said annoyed.

They rushed right in and the Hokage, Tsunade, looked at them curiously. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Naruto stopped panting and said, "It's Sakura! She's gone! All her stuff is gone!"

Tsunade quickly stood up and started pacing around the room. She had a hunch of where Sakura was heading. Her prized pupil was after the Akatsuki. She sighed heavily as she remembered telling her that the mission was out of the question.

"She is after the Akatsuki," Tsunade said tiredly.

The young men looked at her with shocked expressions on their faces. "What do you mean?" Naruto asked furiously.

"I mean that Sakura asked me about a month ago for a special mission. She wanted to go and study the Akatsuki. To find out all she could on them and kill them. When I told her she couldn't do it alone, she said that she had another idea. She said that Sasuke was after the Akatsuki and she could be on his team to get to the Akatsuki," Tsunade said.

"Sakura…." Naruto said aloud. She was doing this for him, so that he wouldn't have them after him.

"But how would she even find Sasuke and persuade him to actually let her be on his team?" Sai asked.

Tsunade shook her head and said, "That's what I tried explaining to her, but all she said was that she knew what she was doing. Maybe she's on Sasuke's team now, but maybe not…. I'm not happy that she betrayed me, but now I have no choice but to grant her access on this mission."

"Can't you send us after her?" Naruto begged.

Tsunade shook her head and said, "This is Sakura's mission and Sakura's alone."

"Do you miss your home, princess?" Suigetsu asked Sakura.

She sighed heavily and said, "Yes, very much."

"I'm sorry," Juugo said kindly.

She smiled at the both of them and asked, "Well, what about you two? Don't you guys miss your home?"

Juugo's eyes saddened and she even noticed that Suigetsu's eyes had grown dark. He shook his head and said, "We've never had a home, princess."

Her pity went out to both of them and she said, "I'm sorry… I just kind of thought everybody had a home is all…"

They both smiled at her and Suigetsu said, "Its ok, princess. But I'll tell you one thing, if I would have had a home in the first place, I wouldn't be here."

Juugo nodded in agreement and Sakura sighed. She looked at Sasuke, but all she saw was his back. "I wish that everybody thought like that…."

Sasuke had been listening in on their conversation and those last words she said hit him hard. How come she would talk to those two, but not him? In the old days she would be talking away to him, trying to impress him. But this was now and not then. Things had changed, _she_ had changed.

She had _loved _him, but she didn't anymore. He tried lying to himself that it didn't bother him, but it did. He was glad at the fact that she loved him, because if someone like her could love someone like him, then maybe he wasn't all that bad. But now she didn't, so there must not be anything _good_ left in him.

"_A teardrop is just a piece of all the pain and suffering you hold within you."_

_-Brittany Shain_


End file.
